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OVERVIEW

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Brief Synopsis

While on his way to Trail City, which has been plagued by a series of outlaw attacks, Ranger Tom Braden is ambushed and mortally wounded by three men. Before dying, Tom hands his moneybelt to passing rancher Jimmy Wakely, with instructions to give it to his sister Mary, who is due to arrive on the next stagecoach. Jimmy brings Tom's body to Trail City and is surprised when another stranger introduces himself as Tom. Unknown to Jimmy, the man is a rustler named Ed Lancer and conspired with Mark Butler, the head of Trail City Cattle and Land Company, to kill Tom, whose presence would have threatened their scheme to take control of the entire area. Although Jimmy does nothing to expose Lancer's impersonation, he tells his sidekick, "Cannonball" Taylor, about the incident and shows him Tom's moneybelt. Fearing for Mary's safety, Jimmy and Cannonball leave to intercept her stage before it reaches town. Meanwhile, Lancer and Butler, who have learned from Doc, the town physician, that Tom was carrying a moneybelt, also discover that he was on his way to pick up his sister. Deciding to murder Mary, Lancer and his men attack her stage, wounding the driver and causing the coach to race out of control, but Jimmy and Cannonball arrive in time to stop the stage before Mary is hurt. After Jimmy breaks the news about Tom's death to Mary and sends her to his ranch for safety, he instructs the stagecoach driver to say in town that no passengers were on board. Later, when Tom's moneybelt is found in Jimmy's saddlebags, Lancer accuses him of killing Tom for his money and claims that he was the Ranger's partner and has been working undercover to capture the rustling gang. Lancer then states that he took Tom's name in order to make his murderer think he had killed the wrong man. Jimmy is arrested, but before being jailed, he and Cannonball flee town and avoid the posse led by Lancer and Butler. After Lancer and Butler convince Mary that Jimmy is her brother's killer, they send her off on the next stagecoach, intending to murder her on the road. Jimmy saves Mary again and shows her a telegram he just received from Ranger headquarters, which proves that Lancer is an impostor. Jimmy then has Doc send notes to all of the remaining ranchers, asking them to come to a meeting at the saloon. During the meeting, which is attended by both Lancer and Butler, Jimmy tricks Lancer into revealing himself as Tom's killer. Before Lancer can implicate Butler, however, Butler, who has been planning to murder the ranchers during an upcoming trail drive, shoots and kills him. Butler then shoots his way out of the saloon, but is pursued by Jimmy, who catches him and knocks him unconscious. Later, Jimmy sends a grateful Mary back home on the stage.